Reply to Rosemary Hills/Bethesda/CC/NCC Boundry study

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Reply to "Rosemary Hills/Bethesda/CC/NCC Boundry study - Superintendent's Recommendation"

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[quote=Anonymous][size=18]You have to know the history of this unique "mini-cluster" to fully understand the ramifications of making decisions outside of historical context that will start unraveling integration plans for the area.

In the 60s and 70s, Rosemary Hills was a poor, minority school. By the 1980s, it was 85% minority, even after Chevy Chase stepped up to integrate by creating a mini-cluster. CC didn't offer enough socio-economic and racial mixing to truly integrate and diversify the area, and there was a significant amount of "white flight" from what was called a "failed experiment".

Successful integration wasn't fully achieved until after Lynnbrook Elementary (East Bethesda) and Rollingwood Elementary (the Chevy Chase community near Candy Cane City) were closed and those neighborhoods added to the mini-cluster. It took those white children and their parental involvement and wealth to mix with the children from low income housing in Rosemary Hills/Lyttonsville and create the wonderful schools we have today.

Rosemary Hills/Lyttonsville is still a predominantly minority community, with several low income apartments and modest houses compared to surrounding neighborhoods. The demographics of the area have shifted a little, but not by any statistically significant measure.

All this so East Bethesda can claim Bethesda Elementary as their "neighborhood school" for more community cohesion and what they refer to as a desired "social network" west of Wisconsin. No one east of Wisconsin has a K-5 neighborhood school except Rock Creek Forest (which, by the way, has the highest FARMS rate of all).

Talk about repellant and sickening! I thought we lived in a progressive area that cared about social justice and appreciated diversity. Where in those values does it makes sense to take a wealthy white school and make it more so (going from 6% to 3% poverty at Bethesda Elementary) at the expense of making a mixed-race school with a relative large poor population poorer (going from 19% to 22% poverty at Rosemary Hills). We know from history that at some point, the balance will tip, and the white wealthier families will opt for private school, leading to further declines.

Given the historical context, how can anyone support this shift? We all know the FARMS families contribute less parental involvement and financial contribution to schools. Many of them do require extra classroom support because they are ESOL students, their parents can't afford after school tutoring like the rest of us, and they often don't get the same level of parental oversight and nutrition as wealthier kids.

As the saying goes, "It takes a village..."  We need our whole village to maintain our excellent schools. Starr's recommendation moves us in the wrong direction. [/size][/quote]

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